Citron and Rose, Merion Station, PA

Really enjoyed our entire experience. Service was lovely; I asked forsome low-sodium choices in advance, and was given a lot of accomodationthat was helpful...

Imaginative appetizers. S-i-L ordered a special--braised short ribs.When it came, looking gorgeous, all he said was 'Yum!" Daughter and Ishared two very different appetizers: the chicken liver special (it aintyour grandma's chicken liver) and a braised salad/potato/quail egg dish thatwe both enjoyed; sensible husband chose a salad that was much to his liking.

Mains: Oh, I did enjoy the veal roulade and its accompaniments, hard to believe they kept the salt off it for my sake. Husband like his veal roulade also; daughter felt her salmon was just perfect, and s-I-L truly appreciatedhis rib eye steak. (That's my choice next time: thick, juicy, great sauce,which our daugther made sure to mop up for her husband) Again, imaginativevegetables all around. Tasty: no complaints whatsoever.

Dessert: three of us chose the pear flodni, which was scrumptious. Portionsize pleasant; ample, but not over-stuffed. Good coffee; happy vibe to the place.

Very attractive decor; mildest criticism would be noise level, but it was happynoise, not a problem As a non-Kosher Chowhound, I wouldn't hesitate to come here with Gentile or non-observant friends. It did the Philadelphia restaurant scene proud: just plain good.

Gotta run. More if I think of something I left out. Try this--worth a trip.

I left something out. My excitement that the high expectationsI came with could be met. They were.

Price: I expected a quality upscale Kosher Restaurant to be far more expensive than a comparable non-Kosher place. At $24-$28 for entrees, and $9-$10 for appetizers, and $9 for dessertfor ample quantities, not mingy portionsm I had no issues aboutprice. We enjoyed ourselves, and I for one would like to goback soon to enjoy that ribeye.

But, I"d order the pear flodni every time...I loved being able to wow our observant daughter and her husband.

My husband and I are in Philly for a few days and we decided to try out Citron and Rose for dinner this evening. We had an absolutely delicious meal. I started out with the homemade pastrami which was served with whole grain mustard, a quince confit something or other, a pickled yellow beet and some pickles and rye flatbread crackers. The pastrami was so soft and delicious and tasted great with the pickled vegetables, quince and the crispy rye crackers. My husband had the chicken soup. It wasn't a traditional chicken soup. It had roasted broccoli, onions and a creamy chicken broth poured over. It was heavy on the rosemary and we didn't care for it that much. It was our least favorite dish.

For the main we shared the dry-aged ribeye. It was cooked exactly how we ordered it (medium). It was soft, tender and very flavorful. The meat is from Grow and Behold. It was expensive, $80 for 24oz but it was delicious. We ordered a side of fries that were piping hot, crispy and delicious.

We got the gingerbread beignets for dessert. They were crispy on outside and rolled in delicious cinnamon sugar. The inside wasn't too sweet and was fluffy and not overly spiced. It was accompanied by a nice tart and refreshing burnt orange ice cream, cranberry sauce, and some pear.

Service was fantastic. Our waitress was knowledgeable and patient in answering any questions we had about the menu. We never got to the bottom of our water glasses because they constantly were refilling them. The table of 4 next to us had ordered, and the waitress came over to apologize for the delay and that the chef was sending out a complimentary risotto because of that. That to me speaks volumes about a restaurant's service and care for the customer experience. (The risotto, by the way, contained white or black truffles, which are extremely expensive. It was a main dish offering as well). We kind of wished our meal was delayed so we could have gotten to try the truffle risotto!

All in all, we had a great experience both service and food-wise! I hope Citron and Rose continues to do well in Lower Merion. Hope to be back someday again!